What Is the MOQ and Lead Time for School Uniforms?

The numbers, per stage

A school uniform order moves through the same stages as any uniform programme — the difference is that one order covers many sizes in relatively small quantities, so the size breakdown drives everything.

Stage	Typical timing	What fixes the date
Quotation	1–3 working days	Style list, quantity per style, size breakdown, crest artwork
Sampling	7–15 days	Fabric in stock vs. sourced, crest digitising, fit comments
Bulk production	25–30 days	Sample approval, fabric lot arrival, embroidery volume
Shipping	Quoted per order	Sea, air or courier; EXW, FOB or CIF agreed in the quotation

The MOQ stays at 100 pcs per style throughout. Sizes mix freely inside that number; colours usually do not, because each colour runs from its own fabric lot.

Why the size breakdown comes first

School orders look like one order but behave like thirty small ones: a single polo style might spread across twelve sizes from age 4 to adult. We grade from XS through adult sizes plus children’s sizes by age or height, and we plan the cut from your breakdown rather than from an assumed ratio. Sending the list at inquiry stage — even a rough count per size — is what lets the quotation confirm a real per-style MOQ instead of a range.

Crest embroidery without surprises

The school crest is digitised once, then stitched on every garment in the same position, thread and size — including top-up orders years later, because the embroidery file is retained with the sealed sample. Send vector artwork (AI or PDF) where possible; a clean PNG works when that is all there is. If the crest has fine text, we will tell you at sampling whether it survives at chest size rather than discovering it on two hundred polos.

What to send for a school uniform quote

The garment types (polos, shirts, skirts, trousers, knitwear), quantity per style, the size breakdown by age or height, fabric direction (piqué and polycotton twill are the usual school choices), crest artwork, and the delivery country. With that, the quotation comes back with price, confirmed MOQ per style, sample terms and the production schedule.

Planning the school-year calendar

Work backwards from the first day of term: bulk needs 25–30 days after sample approval, sampling needs 7–15 days before that, and sea freight adds its own weeks depending on destination. Orders placed against a fixed school-year deadline are where the 7–15 + 25–30 day structure matters most — approve the sample early and the rest of the calendar holds.